Why this recipe works
Two techniques make it. The potatoes are pricked and pre-cooked so they drink up the gravy on the slow dum cook. And the gravy is yogurt-based, which must go in off the heat or it will split. Kashmiri chilli gives the deep red without much heat, and ground fennel and dry ginger are the distinctly Kashmiri aroma.
Ingredients
Method
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1
Prick the baby potatoes all over and pre-cook, then lightly roast or fry them.
Why prick and pre-cook: the holes let the gravy soak into the potato, and pre-cooking means they turn tender and flavour-soaked in the slow dum, not raw in the middle.
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2
Bloom the whole spices in mustard oil, add the Kashmiri chilli, fennel and dry ginger.
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3
Lower the heat and whisk in the yogurt gradually.
Why off the heat: yogurt splits into grainy curds if it boils hard, so it goes in low and whisked, keeping the gravy smooth.
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4
Add the potatoes, cover, and cook on very low heat (dum) until they soak up the gravy.
An honest word
Kashmiri dum aloo is a rich, festive vegetable dish: the yogurt gravy and mustard oil make it fairly indulgent, and traditionally the potatoes are deep-fried. It lightens easily, roast the potatoes instead of frying, and keep the oil modest. As an occasional special vegetable, gently spiced and free of onion and garlic, it is a lovely change from everyday sabzi.